Cattle Rustling and Banditry in the Rift Valley: Is It Culture or Food Security and Climate Change Adoptability?

Abstract

Cattle rustling in the Rift Valley has become endemic and pastoral areas, in particular, are among the most affected. This vice often overlaps with climate change and desertification. There have been constant conflicts among pastoral communities especially those occupying the arid and semi-arid regions of northern Kenya, mainly the Pokot, Turkana and Samburu. This paper seeks to establish whether cattle rustling and banditry is an expression of culture or an approach employed by these communities towards achieving food security and climate change adaptability. This paper is guided by two theories; the social conflict theory and social cubism theory. Social conflict theory argues that individuals and groups (social classes) within society interact on the basis of conflict rather than consensus. On the other hand, social cubism theory, originally designed for the analysis of international ethno-territorial conflict, is used in the analysis of micro-conflicts in other settings, such as the case of the conflict among the Pokot, Samburu and Turkana within the Rift Valley of Kenya. Social cubism directs the researcher to look at an issue from a multiplicity of perspectives and to acknowledge that at different times, under different circumstances and in different settings, the factors will interrelate in different ways. On methodology, this paper relies on both primary and secondary data. Primary data comprises archival materials and oral interviews, while secondary data is obtained from published materials such as books, journals and magazines. The collected data was analysed using three analytical frames; that is, content analysis, theoretical reflections and document analysis.